With Caitlyn Jenner's recent debut [1] on the cover of Vanity Fair and Andreja Pejić landing a major makeup contract [2], the doors for the conversation on gender equality are wide open, giving the LGBT community more opportunities to share their stories. In the Summer issue of Glam Belleza Latina [3], transgender model Gisele Alicea is doing just that by sharing details on her experience transitioning into a proud Latina woman. Keep scrolling to read highlights from Gisele's essay, and pick up an issue of the magazine, on stands June 16, to read the entire piece.
- On growing up in the predominantly Hispanic neighborhood of Hamilton Heights in New York City: "I knew even then how the Latino community expected boys to behave. I'd overhear my family say men shouldn't cook or clean, because that was women's work — and other such machista comments. And they definitely didn't think boys should dress like girls. But I did it anyway. My mother didn't love me prancing around in my older sisters' clothes, but I know that she was just trying to spare me from being harassed."
- On deciding to finally make the transition into a woman: "It was at the [Hetrick-Martin] Institute [at the Harvey Milk High School] where I first discovered that transgender women even existed. They were so glamorous, so proud! By the time I was 17, after experimenting with drag for a few years (I did it even though I was scared to walk around my neighborhood dressed like that), I knew I wanted to become a transgender woman."
- On having her mother's support during her transition: "Thankfully, she fully supported me and came to every doctor's appointment, like for the hormone injections. She was amazing. I even changed my name to Gisele, her middle name, in her honor."
- On becoming a model: "I became immersed in New York City's ballroom scene, mainly with the House of Xtravaganza (that's where I got my stage name, Gisele Xtravaganza), which is like an underground sorority for LGBT youth; it was founded in 1982 as the first all-Latino ballroom house. It's still such an empowering place for transsexuals. They put us on a pedestal when, in the real world, that's often far from the case. Photographers started shooting me while I was doing runway shows at the House of Xtravaganza. Soon after, I appeared in fashion spreads for mainstream magazines including Interview and Dazed & Confused, and walked in runway shows for The Blonds, Chromat, and others."
- On the growing acceptance of transgender people in fashion and media: "Celebrities like Laverne Cox and models Carmen Carrera and Isis King have made great strides for this community by being open about it. And obviously there's a lot of talk about it now because of Bruce Jenner, but it shouldn't have taken a reality show to get people interested and aware. Regardless, this conversation creates a movement toward accepting not only those living glamorous, high-profile lives but also the transgender people who are doctors, philosophers, and CEOs."